JP7813632B2 - Fusion splicer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fusion splicer with excellent alignment workability.

A fusion splicer is used to connect optical fibers together. The fusion splicer butts together optical fibers held in a pair of holders, places them between electrodes, and fuses the tips of the optical fibers together using an arc, thereby connecting the optical fibers together.

When fusing optical fibers together, alignment work is required to align the tip positions of the optical fibers. For this reason, conventionally, alignment was performed by placing the optical fibers opposite each other and capturing an image of the tip positions of the optical fibers from the side (perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fibers) using an imaging device.

On the other hand, when using a fiber that has circumferential directionality in its cross-sectional shape, such as polarization-maintaining fiber or multi-core fiber, rather than a typical single-core optical fiber, alignment is required not only in the tip position but also in the rotational direction. In other words, not only is alignment required in the X-Y direction of the optical fiber, but also in the circumferential direction with the axial direction of the optical fiber as the central axis.

One method for performing such rotational alignment of optical fibers is to place a reflecting member between the opposing portions of the optical fibers, reflect the end face of the optical fiber onto an imaging device, and then perform rotational alignment by observing the end face (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-53625

However, conventional methods require the separate imaging of each optical fiber, which takes time. Furthermore, the need for a rotating mechanism for the reflective member makes the mechanism complex. Furthermore, it is not possible to simultaneously display the end faces of each optical fiber on a display in real time.

On the other hand, if the end faces of each optical fiber can be imaged simultaneously and displayed on the display, real-time rotation alignment can be performed while viewing both end face images. This means that rotation alignment can be performed visually while viewing the images on the display. However, simply displaying both optical fibers simultaneously does not necessarily ensure accurate and easy alignment.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a fusion splicer that has good alignment workability and enables highly accurate alignment.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a fusion splicer for connecting optical fibers, the fusion splicer including: a holding unit for holding a pair of optical fibers facing each other; a pair of electrodes arranged to face each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the facing direction of the pair of optical fibers; a reflecting member that is movable between the optical fibers when the pair of optical fibers are placed facing each other; an imaging device for capturing an image reflected by the reflecting member; an image processing unit that is capable of processing an image captured by the imaging device; a display unit that is capable of displaying an image processed by the image processing unit; and a fusion splicer for connecting at least one of the pair of optical fibers, the fusion splicer including: a holding unit for holding a pair of optical fibers facing each other; a pair of electrodes arranged to face each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the facing direction of the pair of optical fibers; a reflecting member that is movable between the optical fibers when the pair of optical fibers are placed facing each other; a control unit that controls the operation of the alignment drive unit; and a shielding member that is disposed between the reflecting member and the optical fibers when the reflecting member is retracted from a position facing the optical fibers and that can be opened and closed in accordance with the up and down movement of the reflecting member; wherein the imaging device is capable of simultaneously capturing images of the end faces of one of the optical fibers and the other optical fiber; and the image processing unit is capable of inverting the image of the end face of one of the optical fibers and simultaneously displaying images of the respective end faces on the display unit.

It is desirable that the image processing unit is capable of displaying images of each end face superimposed on each other, that the image processing unit converts the images of each end face into different colors and, when superimposed, displays the colors superimposed, and that the control unit is capable of calculating the area of the color portion where both colors overlap from the superimposed images and calculating the amount of deviation or coincidence in the rotational direction and displaying it on the display unit .

The image processing unit may be capable of superimposing and displaying images of each end face, and may be capable of converting the images of each end face into different colors of RGB, which are the three primary colors of light , and when the images are superimposed, synthesizing and displaying the superimposed colors.

The image processing unit may be capable of displaying the image before superimposition together with the superimposed image.

The image processing unit may detect the center position of each end face and overlay the images by aligning their center positions.

The optical fiber imaging device may be provided with a transport drive unit capable of transporting each of the pair of optical fibers individually in the axial direction of the optical fibers, and by controlling the transport drive unit to control the focal position of the captured image in the imaging device, the imaging device may be able to simultaneously acquire end face images of each of the pair of optical fibers in real time .

According to the present invention, by disposing a reflecting member having two reflecting surfaces between opposing optical fibers, the end faces of the two optical fibers can be simultaneously imaged and confirmed. This allows the end faces of the optical fibers to be confirmed in a short time. Furthermore, since the obtained end face images of the two optical fibers can be simultaneously displayed on the display unit, rotational alignment can be performed while comparing the two. In this case, by displaying one image as a mirror image, the relative positional relationship of the end faces in the actual opposing direction can be visually grasped. Furthermore, by providing a shielding member that can be opened and closed in accordance with the up and down movement of the reflecting member, the reflecting member can be covered by the shielding member when the reflecting member is retracted.

Furthermore, if the image processing unit can display images of each end face in an overlapping manner, visual rotation alignment can be performed more easily.

Furthermore, if the image processing unit can convert the images of the respective end faces into different colors of RGB, which are the three primary colors of light , and can display the superimposed colors by combining them, it becomes easy to know which optical fiber is misaligned in which direction based on the difference in color when the images are superimposed, and therefore it becomes easy to know which optical fiber should be rotated in which direction.

Furthermore, if the image processing unit can display the superimposed image together with the image before superimposition, rotation alignment can be performed while viewing both the superimposed image and each end face image simultaneously.

Furthermore, if the image processing unit can detect the center position of each end face and align the center positions to overlay the images, the two can be automatically overlaid.

Furthermore, if the control unit can calculate the area of the color portion where both colors overlap from the superimposed image, and can calculate the amount of deviation and matching in the rotational direction and display it on the display unit, the degree of matching can be determined from the ratio of the areas of the overlapping portions, and rotational alignment can be performed quantitatively and accurately.
In addition, the optical fiber device is provided with a transport drive unit that can transport each of the pair of optical fibers individually in the axial direction of the optical fibers, and by controlling the transport drive unit to control the focal position of the captured image in the imaging device, the imaging device can simultaneously acquire end face images of each of the pair of optical fibers in real time, thereby enabling simultaneous and individual focus adjustment for each optical fiber.

The present invention provides a fusion splicer that has good alignment workability and enables highly accurate alignment.

FIG. An enlarged schematic diagram of the vicinity of the fused portion. 1A is a view seen from the axial direction of the optical fiber 21, and FIG. 1B is a view seen from the axial direction of the electrode rod 7. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the fusion splicer 1. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the reflecting member 23 is retracted, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the reflecting member 23 has been moved between the optical fibers 21. FIG. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a process of performing focus adjustment, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a process of performing rotational alignment. 1A is a diagram showing end surface images 41a and 41b before inversion processing, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing end surface images 41a and 41b after inversion processing. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a process of performing rotation alignment. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the reflecting member 23 is retracted, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a process of fusing the optical fibers 21 together. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a process of performing rotational alignment using an image 40b. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another form of the image 40c.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fusion splicer 1. The fusion splicer 1 comprises a holder placement section 11 on which a holder for holding an optical fiber is placed, a holding section 5 on which the tip of the optical fiber and an electrode rod 7 are arranged, a lid section 3, an operation section 15 for operating the fusion splicer 1, and a display section 17 for displaying various information. The operation section 15 and display section 17 may be integrated by using a touch panel as the display section 17.

The optical fibers are held in a V-groove on the holding unit 5. A pair of electrodes are arranged facing each other in the V-groove of the holding unit 5, which is formed in a direction approximately perpendicular to the opposing direction of the pair of optical fibers. The lid unit 3 is rotatable around the rotation axis 9. A clamp 13 is provided on the back surface of the lid unit 3, and when the lid unit 3 is closed, the tip of the clamp 13 is positioned at a location corresponding to the position of the optical fibers on the holding unit 5. In other words, the clamp 13 on the back surface of the lid unit 3 allows the pair of optical fibers to be held facing each other on the holding unit 5. An imaging device, described below, is also built into the clamp 13, and is positioned so that it can capture an image of the area near the tips of the pair of optical fibers when the lid unit 3 is closed.

The fusion splicer 1 connects a pair of optical fibers by fusion. The optical fibers are held by a pair of holders (not shown), which are placed on the holder mounting section 11. In this state, the lid section 3 is closed, and with the tips of the optical fibers butted together, an arc is generated between the pair of electrode rods 7, melting and splicing the tips of the optical fibers.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of the fused portion when the optical fiber is installed, Figure 3(a) is a side view seen from the axial direction of the optical fiber 21 (Z direction in Figure 2), and Figure 3(b) is a side view seen from the axial direction of the electrode rod 7 (X direction in Figure 2). Note that Figures 2, 3(a), and 3(b) show the reflective member 23 in a retracted state. Also, illustrations of components not necessary for the explanation are omitted.

As shown in Figure 2, in the following description, the direction in which the electrode rods 7 face each other is referred to as the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the X direction and in which the optical fibers 21 face each other is referred to as the Z direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X and Z directions (the up and down direction in the figure) is referred to as the Y direction. Furthermore, the direction of rotation around the Z direction as the rotation axis is referred to as the R direction.

As described above, a pair of optical fibers 21 are arranged facing each other. In addition, a pair of electrode rods 7 are arranged facing each other in a direction perpendicular to the facing direction of the optical fibers 21 (a direction parallel to the X direction). By aligning the tip positions of the optical fibers 21 and generating an arc between the electrode rods 7, the optical fibers can be fused together.

Imaging devices 19a, 19b, and 19c are capable of capturing images of the tip positions of a pair of optical fibers 21 from a direction (side) that is approximately perpendicular to the opposing direction of the optical fibers 21. Furthermore, imaging devices 19b and 19c can capture images of the tip positions of the optical fibers 21 from, for example, two directions that are perpendicular to each other.

The reflecting member 23 and the imaging device 19a are arranged in the vertical direction (Y direction in Figure 2) of the optical fiber 21 so as to face each other. In the illustrated example, the reflecting member 23 is arranged below (toward the imaging devices 19b and 19c) and the imaging device 19a is arranged above (toward the lid 3, not shown), but this may be reversed. Furthermore, the imaging device 19a and the reflecting member 23 do not have to be positioned opposite each other.

As shown in Figure 3(b), the reflecting member 23 has reflecting surfaces 27a and 27b. The reflecting surfaces 27a and 27b are arranged facing in opposite directions and can each reflect light incident from, for example, the Z direction in a 90-degree direction (upward in the Y direction). When a pair of optical fibers 21 are placed opposite each other, the reflecting member 23 can be moved between the optical fibers 21 by a drive unit (in the Y direction in the figure). The imaging device 19a can capture the image reflected by the reflecting member 23.

When the reflecting member 23 is retracted, it is covered by the shielding member 25. That is, when the reflecting member 23 is retracted, the shielding member 25 shields the space between the reflecting member 23 and the optical fiber 21 (fused portion). The shielding member 25 can be opened and closed in accordance with the up and down movement of the reflecting member 23. The operation of the reflecting member 23 and the shielding member 25 will be described in detail below.

Next, the configuration of the fusion machine 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the fusion machine 1 comprises an imaging device 19 (imaging devices 19a, 19b, and 19c are collectively referred to as imaging device 19), an alignment drive unit 31, a conveyance drive unit 33, a reflecting member drive unit 35, an image processing unit 18, an operation unit 15, a display unit 17, and a control unit 30 that controls and calculates these components. Note that components such as discharge control that are not necessary for the description of this embodiment will be omitted.

The operation unit 15 can input various control details and setting conditions to be performed by the control unit 30. The image processing unit 18 can also perform various processes on images captured by the imaging device 19. Details of image processing by the image processing unit 18 will be described later. The display unit 17 can display images captured by the imaging device 19 and processed by the image processing unit 18, as well as information such as fusion conditions.

The alignment drive unit 31 can move the optical fibers 21 in the X, Y, and R directions shown in Figure 2. That is, the alignment drive unit 31 can move at least one of the pair of optical fibers in the X and Y directions to align the axial positions of the pair of optical fibers. Furthermore, the alignment drive unit 31 can align the pair of optical fibers by rotating at least one of the pair of optical fibers around an axis in the opposing direction of the pair of optical fibers. The transport drive unit 33 can transport each optical fiber 21 individually in the axial direction of the optical fiber 21 (Z direction). The reflecting member drive unit 35 can move the reflecting member 23 up and down (Y direction). Each drive unit is operated, for example, by a motor or the like.

Next, we will explain the method for aligning the optical fiber 21. The alignment of the tip position (X-Y direction) of the optical fiber 21 can be performed using conventional methods. For example, the image capture devices 19b and 19c capture images of the tip position of the optical fiber 21 from each direction and display them on the display unit 17. The operation unit 15 is then used to operate the alignment drive unit 31 (adjusting the position and orientation of the holder mounting unit 11) so that the two positions are aligned. By aligning the X-Y positions with each other, the optical fiber 21 can be aligned in the X and Y directions.

When connecting single-core optical fibers, the alignment process can be completed with just X-Y alignment. However, when aligning multicore fibers or polarization-maintaining fibers, which have a circumferential direction relative to the arrangement of cores in the cross section, alignment of the optical fiber 21 is required not only in the X-Y directions but also in the rotational direction R. For this reason, the present invention uses a reflecting member 23 and an imaging device 19a that allow the end face of the optical fiber 21 to be observed.

The method for aligning the rotation direction R is explained below. The operation of each of the following components is controlled either by input from the operation unit 15 or automatically by the control unit 30. Figure 5(a) shows the reflective member 23 in a retracted state. Furthermore, a gap is formed between the optical fibers 21 large enough to allow the reflective member 23 to be inserted. This gap can be formed by moving the optical fibers 21 axially using the transport drive unit 33.

As described above, when the reflecting member 23 is retracted from its position facing the optical fiber 21, the shielding member 25 is positioned above the reflecting member 23 (between the reflecting member 23 and the optical fiber 21). The pair of shielding members 25 are maintained in a closed state with their tips butted together, for example, by an elastic member. The shielding members 25 can be opened and closed by rotating them using the rotating parts 29.

As shown in Figure 5(b), when the reflecting member 23 is raised toward the gap between the optical fibers 21 (arrow A in the figure), the tapered portion at the bottom of the reflecting member 23 comes into contact with the tapered portion of the shielding member 25, pushing the shielding member 25 apart (arrow B in the figure). In other words, the shielding members 25 rotate in opposite directions around the rotating portion 29 as the axis of rotation, opening their upper portions, so they do not interfere with the rising reflecting member 23.

As shown in Figure 5(b), when the reflecting member 23 rises to between the opposing portions of the optical fiber 21, the rising movement of the reflecting member 23 stops. Note that the opening and closing mechanism of the shielding member 25 is not limited to this example, and any mechanism may be used as long as it opens when the reflecting member 23 rises and closes when it is retracted.

Next, as shown in Figure 6(a), an image of the optical fiber 21 obtained by the reflecting member 23 is captured by the imaging device 19a. At this time, by irradiating light from the opposite end face or side of the optical fiber 21, the arrangement of the cores, etc. at the end face can be clearly captured.

As mentioned above, the reflecting member 23 has a first reflecting surface 27a (arrow E in the figure) that reflects an image of the end face of one optical fiber 21 toward the imaging device 19a, and a second reflecting surface 27b (arrow D in the figure) that reflects an image of the end face of the other optical fiber 21 toward the imaging device 19a. Therefore, the end faces of one optical fiber 21 and the other optical fiber 21 can be simultaneously imaged by the imaging device 19a.

In this embodiment, the reflection direction of the image of the end face of one optical fiber 21 on the reflecting surface 27a is the same as the reflection direction of the image of the end face of the other optical fiber 21 on the reflecting surface 27b. Therefore, the end faces of both optical fibers 21 can be simultaneously imaged by a single imaging device 19a.

In contrast, the reflection direction of the image of the end face of one optical fiber 21 on the reflecting surface 27a and the reflection direction of the image of the end face of the other optical fiber 21 on the reflecting surface 27b may be different directions, allowing the end faces of each optical fiber 21 to be simultaneously imaged by multiple imaging devices 19a.

Here, the focus adjustment of the end face of each optical fiber 21 is performed by moving each optical fiber 21 in the axial direction (arrows F and G in the figure). As mentioned above, when fusing the optical fibers 21, a transport drive unit 33 is provided to move the optical fibers 21 in the axial direction in order to butt the optical fibers 21 together and perform screening after fusing. Therefore, in this embodiment, the focus adjustment of each end face can be performed by moving the optical fibers 21 using this transport drive unit 33.

More specifically, the control unit 30 can automatically or manually operate the transport drive unit 33 corresponding to each optical fiber 21, thereby adjusting the focus of the captured image of each optical fiber 21. When adjusting the focus using the imaging device 19a, it is necessary to adjust, for example, the position of the imaging device 19a itself or the position of a lens (not shown) so that the end face images of each optical fiber 21 are simultaneously in focus. However, by controlling the transport drive unit 33 using the control unit 30 to control the focal position of the captured image in the imaging device 19a, it is possible for the imaging device 19a to simultaneously acquire end face images of each optical fiber 21 in real time. This allows focus adjustment to be performed simultaneously and individually on each optical fiber 21.

Figure 7(a) is a conceptual diagram showing an image 40 displayed on the display unit 17. In the image 40, end face images 41a and 41b of each optical fiber 21 obtained by the imaging device 19a are displayed side by side. That is, in this embodiment, each end face image 41a and 41b can be displayed simultaneously in real time on the display unit 17. Note that below, an example will be described in which the optical fiber 21 is a polarization-maintaining fiber consisting of a central core 45, a cladding 43 covering the core 45, and a pair of stress-applying portions disposed inside the cladding 43 and formed at opposing positions across the core 45.

End face images 41a and 41b in image 40 are reflected images reflected by reflective surfaces 27a and 27b of reflecting member 23, respectively. Here, the end faces of the optical fibers 21 are arranged facing each other. Therefore, if the end faces of end face images 41a and 41b, which are displayed side by side, are arranged facing each other, the portions indicated by S, T, U, and V in end face image 41a will face the portions indicated by S', T', U', and V' in end face image 41b, respectively. In other words, end face images 41a and 41b are displayed side by side as mirror images of each other.

As shown in image 40a in Figure 7(b), the image processing unit 18 inverts the end face image 41b of one of the optical fibers so that it is linearly symmetrical about the central axis (P in the figure) perpendicular to the parallel direction, and simultaneously displays the end face images 41a and 41b side by side on the display unit 17. This allows the operator to align both end face images 41a and 41b with exactly the same orientation.

Figure 6(b) shows the process of aligning the rotation direction R (in the direction of arrows H and I in the figure) based on the image 40a obtained after focus adjustment is complete. As mentioned above, the imaging device 19a can simultaneously acquire images of the end faces of each optical fiber 21 in real time. Therefore, the control unit 30 can automatically or manually align each optical fiber 21 in the rotation direction R by individually controlling the operation of the alignment drive units 31 corresponding to each optical fiber 21.

Figure 8(a) is a diagram showing, for example, a state in which parallel center lines (J, J' in the figure) are displayed for each of end face images 41a and 41b. For example, in end face image 41a, the control unit 30 automatically or manually sets the center line J in the desired direction. In the example shown, center line J is, for example, the center line of the opposing direction of the stress-applying unit 47. In this case, as shown in Figure 8(b), the optical fiber 21 in end face image 41b can be rotated to align the center line of the opposing direction of the stress-applying unit 47 with center line J'.

In this case, for example, with respect to the optical fiber 21 that is connected to the end face image 41b, the control unit 30 can automatically or manually determine the center line of the stress-applying unit 47 in the opposing direction, and automatically control the amount of rotation of the optical fiber 21 by the alignment drive unit 31 so that the set center line overlaps with the center line J' set by the end face image 41a.

In addition, rather than using one optical fiber 21 as a reference and rotating only the other optical fiber 21, both optical fibers 21 may be rotated so that they are in the same direction. In this case, even if the end face image 41a and the end face image 41b appear to rotate in the same direction on the image, the inverted end face image 41b will actually be rotated in the opposite direction.

After the alignment in the rotation direction R is complete, the reflecting member 23 is lowered downward (arrow M in the figure) as shown in Figure 9(a). In other words, the reflecting member 23 is placed in a retracted state. At this time, as the reflecting member 23 retracts, the shielding member 25 is closed by an elastic member or the like (not shown).

After the alignment process is complete, as shown in Figure 9(b), the conveyor drive unit 33 is operated to butt the tips of the optical fibers 21 together. Then, an arc is generated between the electrode rods 7 under specified conditions to perform the fusion process. This allows the optical fibers 21 to be aligned and spliced.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the end faces of a pair of optical fibers 21 can be imaged simultaneously, making alignment work easier. Furthermore, by reflecting the images of each end face in the same direction, the end faces of a pair of optical fibers 21 can be imaged using the same imaging device 19a. In this case, by displaying the image of the end face of one of the optical fibers 21 inverted, both optical fibers 21 can be displayed as if viewed from the same direction. This makes rotational alignment visually easy.

Next, we will explain the second embodiment. Figure 10(a) is a conceptual diagram showing image 40b according to the second embodiment. Note that in the following explanation, components that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as in Figures 1 to 9, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Also, in the images below, it is assumed that end face image 41b has already been inverted.

The second embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, but differs in that the image processing unit 18 is capable of displaying the end face images 41a and 41b in an overlapping manner. The overlapping image 41c is an image obtained by overlapping the end face images 41a and 41b. The image processing unit 18 may also be capable of displaying the end face images 41a and 41b before overlapping together with the overlapping image 41c, or may display only the overlapping image 41c, excluding the end face images 41a and 41b.

For example, the image processing unit 18 draws multiple virtual lines perpendicular to the X direction at a predetermined interval in each of the end face images 41a and 41b, and detects the positions of the intersections between the virtual lines and the outer edges (boundaries) of the end face images. A center line for the X direction can be obtained by calculating an approximate straight line connecting the midpoints of the intersections of each virtual line. This is similarly performed for the Y direction to obtain a center line for the Y direction, and the intersection of these X and Y center lines is calculated as the center of the end face.

In this way, the image processing unit 18 calculates the center position of each of the end face images 41a and 41b, and then aligns the center positions to overlay and combine the images to obtain the overlaid image 41c. As shown in Figure 10(b), while viewing the overlaid image 41c, the operator rotates at least one of the optical fibers 21 so that, for example, the stress-applying portions 47 are completely overlaid. In this way, rotational alignment can be performed.

The second embodiment can achieve the same effects as the first embodiment. Furthermore, the overlaid image 41c, which is created by overlaying the end face images 41a and 41b, allows the worker to perform rotational alignment of the optical fibers 21 with high precision in a visually easy-to-understand manner.

Next, we will explain the third embodiment. Figure 11 is a conceptual diagram showing image 40c according to the third embodiment. The third embodiment is substantially similar to the second embodiment, except that coloring processing is applied to each of the end face images 41a and 41b.

The image processing unit 18 converts each of the end face images 41a and 41b into a different color. In this case, for example, the image processing unit 18 adds shades of color depending on the brightness of the original images (black and white images) of the end face images 41a and 41b. The image processing unit 18 can also display these colors in an overlaid image 41c, which is created by overlaying the end face images 41a and 41b.

For example, when light of the three primary colors RGB (Red-Green-Blue) is combined, R+B produces pink, R+G produces yellow, and B+G produces light blue, and the overlapping areas produce white. Therefore, by looking at the difference in color, it is easy to see which optical fiber is misaligned in which direction in the overlapping image 41c. For example, if the stress-applying portions 47 are overlapped and there is a slight misalignment, it may be difficult to determine which optical fiber should be rotated from the black and white image.

In contrast, by using different colors, the direction of misalignment can be easily grasped. For example, in the example shown, the stress-applying portion 47 (L in the figure) on the end face image 41a side is converted to R, and the stress-applying portion 47 (K in the figure) on the end face image 41b side is converted to B. For simplicity's sake, ignoring the color of the cladding 43, in the superimposed image 41c, the overlapping portion (M in the figure) is combined in pink with R and B, and the misaligned portions (K, L in the figure) are displayed in their original colors. In this case, alignment can be performed by rotating the optical fiber on the end face image 41b side, which is misaligned clockwise on the image, counterclockwise on the image.

The image processing unit 18 or the control unit 30 can also detect specific colors from the superimposed image 41c. For example, it can detect areas within a specific RGB balance range from the superimposed image 41c. This makes it possible to detect only color portions in the superimposed image 41c where both colors overlap. The control unit 30 can calculate their area (for example, the area of M in the illustration). Alternatively, the control unit 30 can detect color portions that do not overlap and calculate their area (for example, the area of L or K in the illustration).

For this reason, the degree of alignment can be determined by calculating the ratio of the area (M) of the overlapping portion after overlapping to the area of the stress-applying portion 47 (K or L) calculated from the end face images 41a and 41b. Alternatively, the remaining misalignment can be determined by calculating the area (K or L) in the overlapped image 41c. In this case, by displaying the amount of alignment or misalignment of the rotational alignment numerically in the image 40c, the operator can accurately perform rotational alignment of the optical fibers 21.

The third embodiment can achieve the same effects as the second embodiment. Furthermore, the control unit 30 can calculate the amount of rotational misalignment or coincidence from the superimposed images and display it on the display unit 17, allowing the operator to quantitatively grasp the accuracy of rotational alignment.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art could conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Fusion splicer 3... Cover section 5... Holding section 7... Electrode rod 9... Rotating shaft 11... Holder mounting section 13... Clamp 15... Operation section 17... Display section 18... Image processing section 19, 19a, 19b, 19c... Image capturing device 21... Optical fiber 23... Reflecting member 25... Shielding member 27a, 27b... Reflecting surface 29... Rotating section 30... Control section 31... Aligning drive section 33... Conveying drive section 35... Reflecting member drive section 40, 40a, 40b, 40c... Images 41a, 41b... End face image 41c... Superimposed image 43... Cladding 45... Core 47... Stress applying section

Claims (6)

A fusion splicer for connecting optical fibers,
a holding portion that holds a pair of optical fibers facing each other;
a pair of electrodes arranged to face each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the facing direction of the pair of optical fibers;
a reflecting member that is movable between the pair of optical fibers when the pair of optical fibers are placed opposite each other;
an imaging device that captures an image reflected by the reflecting member;
an image processing unit capable of processing images captured by the imaging device;
a display unit capable of displaying the image processed by the image processing unit;
an alignment drive unit that can align the pair of optical fibers by rotating at least one of the pair of optical fibers about an axis that is the opposing direction of the pair of optical fibers;
a control unit capable of controlling the operation of the alignment drive unit;
a shielding member that is disposed between the reflecting member and the optical fiber when the reflecting member is retracted from a position facing the optical fiber, and that is openable and closable in response to vertical movement of the reflecting member;
Equipped with
the imaging device is capable of simultaneously imaging an end face of one of the optical fibers and an end face of the other of the optical fibers;
The fusion splicer is characterized in that the image processing unit is capable of inverting an image of one of the optical fiber end faces and simultaneously displaying the images of the respective end faces on the display unit. the image processing unit is capable of displaying images of the respective end faces in a superimposed manner,
the image processing unit converts the images of the respective end faces into different colors, and when the images are superimposed, the colors can be displayed in an overlapping manner;
2. The fusion machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of calculating the area of the color portion where both colors overlap from the superimposed image, and is capable of calculating the amount of misalignment or coincidence in the rotational direction and displaying it on the display unit . the image processing unit is capable of displaying images of the respective end faces in a superimposed manner,
The fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that the image processing unit converts the images of each end face into different colors of one of the three primary colors of light, RGB, and when the images are superimposed, the superimposed colors are synthesized and displayed . A fusion splicer as described in either claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the image processing unit is capable of displaying the image before superimposition together with the superimposed image. A fusion splicer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the image processing unit detects the center position of each end face and superimposes the images by aligning their center positions. a conveying drive unit capable of conveying each of the pair of optical fibers individually in the axial direction of the optical fibers;
6. The fusion splicer according to claim 1, wherein the conveying drive unit controls a focal position of an image captured by the imaging device, thereby enabling the imaging device to simultaneously acquire end face images of each of the pair of optical fibers in real time.